The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-29
EYE DISEASES.
How They Are Spread by Towels,
Flies, and spectacles.

How They Arc spread Dy Towels,
Flies, ana spectacles.
To mention few of the modes OF
contagion, have to speak, in the first
place. of towels, especially OF that
abominable institution known rs the
roler-towel, which has been used SO
much in asylums where forty, fifty, or
more children use the same towel,
whether they have granular lids or not.
True, in a great many of these cases
the existence of granular lids was not
known; but even in cases in which the
existence of the disease was evident,
the ignorance or careless of the persons
in charge has allowed TRANSMISSION by
means Of towels to be one of the most
frequent sources of contag on. As a
carrier of the contagion, the house-ny
plays an important role, especially in
cases of young children WHO are not
able to protect themselves against the
visits of this little animal. Attracted
by the swedish odor of the discharge it
will settle upon the eyes of children af-
fected with the disease, especially in
fants, and carry the contagion in its
claws to the other eye or eyes of Sleep
ing infants.
Spectacles may be the carrier of the
contagion. / remember the case of n
young lady who could not explain sat
,sfactorly how she came TO have gran
ular lids. Upon her return to school
she mentioned that she had granular
lids, whereupon one of her classmates
said: "Why, that is the disease which
have been suffering from for the last
six months" This class mate was
near-sighted, and used glasses. My
salient was also near-sighted but had
not used glasses, and whenever she
wanted to see anything Mt distance
she was in the habit of borrowing the
spectacles of her friend, and there Is no
doubt in my mind that This was the
means of carrying the poison from the
classmates eye to my prtient's eye.
Children with granular lids are very
apt to rub the eyes, because the secre-
ton as it begins to dry on the edge of
the lids, causes an irritating. itching
sensation. They will now play with
other children, and from their hands
transfer the poison to the hands OF the
other children, and these latter rubbing
their eyes contract the disease. Hand
ling objects which have been used by
granular lids patients may be the
means of carrying the contagion. A
young lady who volunteered to teach
children affected with granular lids, and
who had been isolated from other chill
iren IN a certain institution, was warn
ed to be extremely careful with regard
to using handkcrchicfs, towels or any
thing that belonged 10 the children.
She was well aware of the danger, and
promised to be very careful. She ham
died nothing whatever, she said, that
belonged to the children, left her cloak
outside, and in the class room kept
away from the children distance of
i've or SIX feet. But upon eXaminat on
Of her eyes fourteen days after she had
taken Office, il was found that she began
to suffer from granular lids Upon in
1uiry, found that she had taken copy
books and states of the children for cor
rection, and in all probability she got
the poison from the states and books on
her hands and then conveyed it to her
eyes. A teacher of another section in
the same institution was more careful;
she simply walked into the classroom.
did not touch anyth..-g belonging to the
children, and for two or three months.
during the duration of this epidemic,
she was not affected by the disease.
The atmosphere had evidently not been
the carrier of the contagion in the first
,ase. -.BedicaI and surgical Reporter.